Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, earlier in this sitting I shared concerns about early childhood education. Mr. Speaker, I have seen firsthand in my riding that many children are entering the school system on an uneven level. This limits their chances for long-term achievement and success. One of the issues I hear from constituents is about the need for speech-language pathology services for their child or children.
Speech-language pathology, or SLP, is a rehabilitation service that provides speech and language therapy to people with communication disorders. In the past, these services were directly available in schools. SLP services were scaled back during COVID, Mr. Speaker. This resulted in less services in school which continued into the most recent school year. This time last year, the waitlist for these services was four to six months. This is too long for our youth to wait. And we all know, Mr. Speaker, that school readiness is essential for successful learning and development. SLP is an important health service in assisting children in need and preparing them for their entire education.
Mr. Speaker, there is a great need for speech-language pathology services in our schools to assist and treat communication problems for our children. Availability and access to this service is critical so that our children can thrive. Furthermore, access to health care is a priority of this government. I will have questions for the Minister of health at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Members' statements. Member from Range Lake.
